English Language Learning

Parent Involvement: Major Resources, Linkages and Information
Available at OELA to Assist State Education Agencies

OVERVIEW:

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) defines parental
involvement as regular, two-way, and meaningful communication
between parents and schools to ensure that parents are full
partners in their children's educational experience.

The vision of the Secretary of Education and the Director
of the Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement
and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students
(OELA) is that parents, community organizations, and governmental
agencies will work together to make sure that no child is
left behind.

James H. Lockhart (jim.lockhart@ed.gov)
is the specialist on the OELA staff who has the responsibility
of identifying and developing human and material resources
to support this vision; forming linkages with other parent
outreach specialists at the local, state, and Federal levels;
and assisting the parents of English language learners (ELLs)
to understand their rights and responsibilities under the
Law.

RESOURCES:

Within ED

The OELA Parent Involvement Specialist maintains an on-going,
working relationship with his counterparts in other program
offices, particularly those offices that specifically address
parent involvement under NCLB. This includes the Office of
Educational Partnerships and Family Involvement; the Office
of Elementary and Secondary Education; the Office for Civil
Rights; the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools; and the
Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

External to ED

OELA has established linkages with such organizations
as the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education
(NCPIE), the nation's largest consortium of parent outreach
specialists. Included in the membership of NCPIE are such
well-known organizations as the National PTA; the Council
of Chief State School Officers; the National Education Association;
and the National Council of La Raza. OELA will work with this
coalition in their efforts to focus on the specific needs
of the parents of English language learners.

THE PLAN:

OELA is creating a National Parent Involvement Team consisting
of three representatives of State Education Agencies; three
members of the staff of OELA's Division of Consolidated
State Grants; a representative from the National Clearinghouse
for English Language Acquisition; and OELA's Parent Involvement
Specialist to further develop this plan.

The following specific support services, information, and
resources are either immediately available to State and local
educational agencies, or are in the process of development,
in pursuit of the effective involvement of the parents of
English language learners nationwide:

A brochure, for distribution, training, and presentation
purposes that outlines, in layman's language, the parents'
and schools' rights and responsibilities under Title
III, NCLB (available in Spanish and English).

A National Parent Leadership Training Workshop to facilitate
the development of a national cadre of parent leaders to
assist parents of English language learners to understand
their rights and responsibilities under the Law. (This session
will be planned in conjunction with the OELA Summit of 2003.)

Creation, with the assistance of State Education Agencies,
community organizations, Federal government parent specialists,
and others, of the National Coalition of Parents of English
Language Learners (NCPELL). The purpose of this organization
is to expand the network of parents of ELL's who are
knowledgeable about the provisions of and their rights under
Title III, NCLB.

Print resources, written in a language that parents can
understand, to further assist parents to understand their
rights and responsibilities under the Law and to assist
them in being a resource to their children in the learning
process. (Such a document as "Helping Your Child Learn
English" is an example of this type of resource.)

Continuing communication between the OELA Parent Specialist,
OELA's Division of Consolidated State Grants, the National
Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA),
the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education,
and (when established), and the State Education Agencies
for the purpose of sharing of information on effective parent
involvement practices throughout the country.